New doctor performs Flathead's first corneal transplant

On Aug. 5, Flathead County welcomed Dr. Caleb Morris to its rapidly expanding pool of specialty surgeons, a newcomer to the Glacier Eye Clinic in Kalispell who recently performed the valley’s first single-layer corneal transplant surgery.

The specific type of procedure — performed by Morris Aug. 19 — was a DMEK corneal transplant. Essentially, the procedure entails selective removal of a membrane (descemet membrane) and layer of cells (corneal endothelium), followed by the transplantation of a donor endothelium and membrane that are sent from an eye bank of choice.

A corneal transplant can restore vision, reduce pain and improve the appearance of a damaged or diseased cornea. Conditions that can be treated with a transplant, according to Morris, range from thinning of the cornea to Fuchs’ dystrophy, which causes your vision to decrease over time.

Prior to the addition of Morris on staff, it was often recommended that patients travel to areas such as Missoula or Spokane for cornea transplant surgeries, which for many — either due to eyesight problems, lack of time or finances — was not a possibility.

The lack of patient mobility, a common obstacle within rural health care, has led to a small backlog in clients waiting patiently for specialists like Morris to make their way to the Flathead Valley. He said he is performing about one surgery a week and is steadily making his way through the wait-list.

“This is a great service to have right here. Before people had to be sent out for any kind of corneal transplants,” Morris said. “Traveling, especially for people who are having problems with their eyes, can be challenging.”

By title, Morris is a cornea and refractive surgeon at Glacier Eye Clinic. He’s a Minnesota native who completed his medical school at Duke before moving to Houston where he completed a residency at Baylor.

Afterward, he completed a fellowship in Missouri with Dr. Jay Pepose — a doctor who is listed annually by U.S. World News and Report as being among the top 1% of LASIK (laser-assisted in-situ keratomileusis) surgeons in the nation. Morris describes him as a “pioneer” of his medical craft.

Morris brings his honed skill set to the Flathead where he joins a growing team of 66 employees and eight doctors that serve over 38,000 patients in Montana and other states. Glacier Eye Clinic, which was founded in 1995, also has satellite locations in Libby, Polson and Ronan.

“There are a lot of subspecialties here [Glacier Eye Clinic] for ophthalmology. If you need retina surgery, we have that. We have glaucoma surgeons and others,” Morris said. “I feel lucky to be part of their team. They do really good work.”

Of the surgeries performed by Morris, he said the most common are LASIK or PRK (photorefractive keratectomy) refractive corneal surgeries, with the difference between the two being slight.

LASIK, which is one of the most popular procedures, involves reshaping the cornea with a laser after folding a small flap of the cornea back and replacing it after the shaping. The PRK surgery involves removing the top layer of the cornea instead of creating a flap and then using lasers to reshape the other layers.

“We basically build back what you would have with contacts or glasses. Most people prefer LASIK because the next day you’re at about 90%. People are able to wake up and go to work, depending on what it is they do,” Morris said.

While Morris acknowledges the idea of undergoing eye surgery such as LASIK or a corneal transplant can seem intimidating to many, he said professionals have made significant strides over the last 15 to 20 years, making the procedures some of the safest to perform within the medical field. For example, he said there are far less chances of rejection following a transplant surgery; the procedures are less invasive in general and the surgery and recovery times are significantly smaller.

However, should a patient not be an ideal candidate for any number of the services offered at the clinic, doctors are quick to say so.

One such person is actually Morris, who wears glasses because he has “high-risk corneas” and thus cannot have LASIK surgery. But he said his lack of being able to undergo the procedure himself made him that much more determined to serve others.

“I’m asked about once a week why it is that I wear glasses,” Morris said. “It’s always rewarding to hear people talk about how their eyesight is better than it’s ever been.”

In particular, Morris said he is excited to be working in his specialty field at a clinic in the Flathead. Ever since attending college in Utah, a state known for its outdoor offerings, he said he went into this field hoping he would eventually land in a place that had similar characteristics and serve people who want to visually take advantage of all nature has to offer.

“Everyone around here especially wants to be active. They want to be outside skiing or be on their bikes and having glasses or contacts can be an annoyance,” Morris said. “When you live somewhere like this, you want to be able to see everything all the time.”

Reporter Kianna Gardner may be reached at 758-4439 or kgardner@dailyinterlake.com